UNVEILING MAYA
An only child, Josama was raised and artistically inspired by his mother, Ingrid Madera, an internationally renowned sculptor, artist & survivor. Josama’s childhood was nomadic; living as a modern day gypsy, he and his mother moved incessantly throughout various neighborhoods & states. It was during the “die hard” era of New York’s graffiti scene where ten year-old Josama would lay his foundation as a visual artist.
Within one year, Josama was keeping black books full of designs . Due to the near extinction of the graffiti train culture, Josama took a back seat to the declining art form and transcended his passion for the visual arts through oil painting. He went back to the Dominican Republic for a few years and studied fine arts at Altos de Chavon and immersed himself with his newfound love and began studying the works of various Renaissance masters, Mexican muralists and contemporary painters. The combination of Josama’s vagabond lifestyle, artistic upbringing and devotion for hip-hop culture, are the factors responsible for his unique artistic expression. Josama’s work can be defined as a living dreamscape that cross-pollinates historical moments with pop-culture iconography and everyday street life. Infusing elements of symbology, psychology and spirituality, Josama’s pieces are engaging and evoke a thought provoking analysis of the imagery conveyed.
On Monday April 9th, check out Unveiling Maya at SPIN New York from 6 to 10 pm in the private room.
Greatest inspirations or influences?
Growing up in old NYC was priceless. It taught me how to think quick and outside the box . This has helped me to survive in atmospheres others would've found less desirable. All the positive and negative experiences I accumulate play a critical role. The different characters and personalties I've met over the years all make there way into my work. My mother who is an artist nurtured my gifts and exposed me to a world of art/music/dance/theature I would've otherwise never known. Popular culture that we see in movies, cartoons, TV, and magazines all play their part. Reading books and researching new schools of thought and ideas all add to who I am today.
Tell us about your upcoming show at SPiN New York?
The show is called "Unveiling Maya" a culmination of my work from the past 3 years. My earlier works in the show are part of a collection called "Loss Of Innocence" (this represents the Maya part). In this group of work I explore the traumatic stress that accompanies growing up poor , black/latino in a system devised to keep us killing ourselves and institutionalized. Using pop culture references from childhood and mixing them with the urban decay of yesteryears. This work is layered in conceptual substance. The work reflects the suffering from a child surrounded by demons in a decaying world that doesn't want him. Living through this necessary evil so that he can grow spiritually. My newer work in the show is entitled "Holey Water for Holey War" (this represents the Unveiling of a hidden truth). This collection is heavy with images of water holes,waterfalls,twisters,storm clouds, Shamans, Monks, Santeras, Sadhus, in general ascended masters of spirituality. Waterfalls,twisters and storm clouds represent the turbulent times we are living in. The water holes represent that plunge into the unkown. From apocalypse (which actually means the unveiling of a hidden truth) right back to Genesis. The ending is only the beginning in infinity. The ascended masters represent different faiths and beliefs but all reaching towards that divine truth within us all which is oneness in love.
Favorite sites, blogs, publications?
I'm very random. Two magazines I do miss a lot are Mass Appeal and Stress. I love art mags...everything from Juxtapoz to Art Forum. I try to stay informed with what's going on around the world and in popular culture so I tune into everything from great sites like realnews.com to trashy sites like worldstarhiphop.com. I love Deoxy.org ;for me its one of the most informative and important sites if your into heady, spiritual ,psycho active thoughts. I'm a huge conspiracy buff and from time to time check out AlienShift.org . A good fashion blog is Style Lotus at carmiamarshall.blogspot.com . A great art website is istoyo.com , this is the site of some Dominican artist friends of mine; the Santo brothers Yoerik Santos, Erik Santos and Tomas Pichardo. I love checking out what my contemporary brothers and sisters are up to. I'm always coming across new blogs and sites
Anything else youd like to share with our audience?
We're here to give and share. Unfortunately theres a lot of people who don't feel that so they hide behind masks, putting up fronts and continue to wage war on their brothers over religion,region,and natural resources. Read between the lines , think outside the box and tell the children the truth. I feel we're living in the most exciting times in human history. We literally have the world at our finger tips. We're about to experience a transition/transformation so to speak. Open your hearts ,your minds and 3rd eyes and never take anything for granted. Every voice no matter how small makes a difference once activated. Everything is possible, especially the unexplainable. Its a all a matter of timing and synchronicity . Light truth and remembering who we really are will reign supreme.
